


Presently Parenting

by Marijke_Rose



Series: Whumptober 2020 [23]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Day 23, Exhaustion, M/M, Switching tenses, Whumptober 2020, different tenses, no.23, parenting, past tense narrative, present tense narrative, smeets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marijke_Rose/pseuds/Marijke_Rose
Summary: Newborn smeets are quite a challenge for the amighty leaders of the Irken Empire, Tallest Red and Purple.
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Purple/Almighty Tallest Red
Series: Whumptober 2020 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948705
Kudos: 11
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Presently Parenting

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I had so much trouble with this one and decided to do like weird tenses. So, it’s probably not very good and is annoying to read, I dunno.
> 
> I put past tense in italics though, to make it easier.
> 
> It’s a day late because I had to think about it.
> 
> And this is the first time I’ve ever written anything seriously using present tense.

A smeet cries.

_Tired. Red was tired._

But he gets up to go see what the problem is.

_It seemed like every time he sat down, he was getting up again._

Another smeet’s cries joins its sibling’s. It’s youngest son and his daughter. 

Red checks their diapers first. After changing, his daughter settles down again, so he puts her back in her bed and carries his still wailing son to the other room.

_Because having four smeets meant someone was always in need of something._

“Shhh, don’t cry,” he whisperes as he makes a bottle of smeet formula for him.

_And having four smeets meant Red and Purple’s needs had to be shoved to the back burner (which was not something either Tallest was used to)._

He settles down in a comfy chair and feeds his son, cuddling the tiny thing to his chest while cooing softly to him. It doesn’t matter what he says, the little boy likes anything.

_And when they weren’t screaming for something, he was picking up after them._

He puts his son back to bed, then picks up the diapers and tosses them down the chute. Then he goes into the kitchen and cleans it up, putting the leftover formula away.

He is so tired and goes back to sit down. Then he decides he had better check on his mate, so he gets up again and goes to their bed chambers.

There is his mate, sitting up with his PAD in his hands. He looks as tired as Red feels.

“They just needed their diapers changed and Ember wanted a bottle,” Red tells Purple.

Purple nods without looking up.

Red goes over and joins him in bed. “So… how long before the other two will wake up?”

Purple sighs. 

_Their twins had decided to be on a completely separate schedule from their younger siblings._

“You shouldn’t get too comfy,” Purple says, sympathy in his voice.

He’s still recovering from their surgical birth, so Red isn’t angry at him for not doing more.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Red says with a sigh. He still lays his head on Purple’s shoulder. “Whatcha readin’?” he asks, purposely slurring and doesn’t open his eyes to look for himself.

“It’s called ‘So, you’ve got a litter’,” Purple says.

He also hopes the conversation will help keep him awake. “Heh. Lucky us, huh.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it helping?”

Purple shrugs and lays his head against Red’s.

Then they hear two more cries.

“Our twins are up…” Purple points out.

Red sighs and nods. “Yeah… I’m on it…”

“Are you sure?” Purple asks and looks apologetic.

“Yeah, you stay here.” Red gets up again and leaves the room.

He picks both smeets up and, just as with the other two, he changes their diapers and brings them to the other room for a feeding.

Then he sits up with them afterwards, because they don’t want to sleep yet. He tells them stories instead. Stories of his life. Of being an elite soldier. Of becoming co-Tallest. Anything he thinks of. And they seem to love it, for they are quiet as they lay against his chest, clinging to his robes.

When they fall asleep, he gets up and brings them to bed too. Then he sloughs back to his and Purple’s bed chambers. This time, he collapses, weary, upon the bed. He’s barely able to crawl onto his side and slip under the covers. 

_Red was tired. So very tired._

He’s asleep the moment his head hits the pillow.

_Four smeets were hard work._


End file.
